The present application relates to combined receipt and label rolls, and is particularly directed to a perforated, combined receipt and label roll.
A known combined receipt and label roll 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-3. The combined roll 10 comprises a continuous web 12 of material wound in a spiral around a core 14. The web 12 includes a substrate 16 (FIG. 3) having a front side 18 and a back side 20 opposite the front side. A pattern of adhesive spots or strips 22 are disposed on the back side 20 of the substrate 16. The adhesive pattern 22 covers a relatively small portion of the back side 20, and extends along a longitudinal running axis 24 (FIG. 2) of the web 12.
A thermal-sensitive coating 26 is disposed on the entire front side 18 of the substrate 16. A release coating 28 is disposed on the thermal sensitive coating 26, and is also disposed on the entire front side 18 of the substrate layer 16. The release coating 28 prevents adhesive 22 on the back side 20 of the substrate 16 from sticking to the front side 18 when the web 12 is wound on the core 14.
During use of the combined roll 10 of FIGS. 1-3 in a direct thermal printer (not shown), the printer thermally images a portion of the thermal-sensitive coating layer 26 to provide receipt information on the thermally-imaged portion. A movable cutting blade of the printer then cuts the web 12 in cross-section to provide a combined receipt and label 30 as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the web 12 may be cut in cross-section by a user manually tearing it against a stationary cutting blade of the printer to provide the combined receipt and label 30.
In an example use of the combined receipt and label 30 of FIG. 4, a retail merchant (such as a fast food restaurant) attaches the combined receipt and label 30 by way of the adhesive 22 to a purchased item (such as an order made by a retail customer in the fast food restaurant). The attached combined receipt and label 30 functions as a temporary label for the merchant to identify the order to be delivered to the particular customer. After the customer receives the order from the merchant, the customer removes the combined receipt and label 30 and keeps it as a permanent receipt of the order transaction.
A limitation of the permanent receipt 30 shown in FIG. 4 is that it contains adhesive 22 which can stick to clothing, wallets or purses, other documents, and the like. Moreover, the permanent receipt 30 is unable to be folded without adhesive inside the folded receipt. Another limitation of the permanent receipt 30 is that the customer (or the merchant) is unable to write anything in ink onto the front side 18 (FIG. 3) of the substrate 16 since the release coating 28 is not ink-receptive and is disposed on the entire front side of the substrate. It would be desirable to provide a permanent receipt in which such limitations are overcome.